Man jailed for driving, drug, violence charges to miss child's birth

By
FIONA HENDERSON

A MAN facing 17 driving, drug and violence charges had to be restrained by police after his sentencing in the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

A MAN facing 17 driving, drug and violence charges had to be restrained by police after his sentencing in the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Wayne Patmore, 24, was upset because he will miss his child's February birth after being sentenced to a non-parole period of eight months.

An agitated Patmore jumped up and started screaming abuse at magistrate Cynthia Toose before being restrained by Ballarat CIU Senior Detective Steve Campbell, in court for another matter.

Court security and extra police were called, and Ms Toose removed herself from the bench, before a sobbing Patmore was eventually taken into custody after being calmed by his pregnant partner.

Patmore pleaded guilty to five charges of driving while disqualified, five of using an unregistered motor vehicle and one each of contravening an intervention order, threat to kill, possess cannabis, fail to obey police, fail to wear a motorbike helmet, fail to answer bail and not having number plates fixed.

The offences all occurred in the Stawell and Ballarat areas from September 1 last year.

Defence counsel David Tamanika said Patmore had a terrible upbringing, including his mother's possible suspicious death, which had partly led to his repeated offending, beginning when he was just 13.

However, Ms Toose said it was "the most appalling driving record I've ever seen".

She sentenced Patmore to a total sentence of one year and one month in jail, with the eight month non-parole period.